Fuel's Errand: "Alternative" Fuel Hunt by State

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman has a new book out called Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America. He makes the case that going green isn’t bad for the economy—in fact, it’s the only way for America to remain an economic leader. I interviewed Friedman for the weekly Scientific American podcast (available at www.SciAm.com/podcast). And an abridged Q&A version of that interview can be found here.

But something came up during our conversation worth closer consideration during the homestretch of this protracted presidential campaign.

I’d long suspected that the enthusiasm for ethanol was really an enthusiasm of politicians for pandering to Iowa’s corn constituents. Because ethanol from corn has many downsides—higher food prices, more water for irrigation, possible losses in nutritional value of the soil, potentially higher levels of ozone output from car exhaust, and more. So I asked Friedman, “Would corn ethanol even be on the table if Iowa didn’t have the first caucus?” Friedman replied, “There is no question; it would not be on the table. This is another form of agricultural welfare in my view.”

So I got to wondering, what fuels in abundant supply could the other 49 states offer as alternatives if they led off the presidential sweepstakes?